JEDDAH, 5 July 2007 — The first national campaign to clean and maintain the Jeddah historic center (Balad) was officially launched yesterday at the municipal headquarters.
Municipality officials said that they aim to attract 15,000 men and women volunteers to participate in the one-month campaign to help restore and clean up the historic area.
According to Jamal Abo Imara, municipal spokesman, there are many projects in store for the development of the Balad. “This campaign is the kickstart for many development projects to come,” he said.
Sami Nawwar, head of the Tourism and Culture Department at the municipality, said the campaign carries an important national message to lift the culture of tourism to higher levels and to create awareness about the importance of the historical area. He said the campaign has managed to attract 7,000 volunteers and more are still expected.
“We are translating the invitation to the campaign into several foreign languages and will distribute it through consulates to attract more volunteers,” he said.
He said the municipality has identified 500 locations in the Balad that are in need of cleaning. There are also about 300 spaces that have been defaced with graffiti, eight historical mosques in need of general maintenance and cleaning and nine small parks that should get a facelift.
The daily program of the campaign, which starts from Al-Baiah roundabout, also includes several awareness lectures that would be conducted in various parts of the area, he said.
Along with the public, Nawwar said, the campaign is receiving backing from Jeddah’s Directorate of Education, summer camps, banks, mediapersons, artists, charitable institutions and Effat and Dar Al-Hekma colleges.
